People living in the Western Cape are the country's healthiest, wealthiest and most well educated, according to statistics released by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR).

The province has the country's highest economic growth rate and household income and the lowest unemployment.

But it is also South Africa's murder and residential burglary capital.

In its "State of the provinces" report, released on Thursday, the SAIRR said the data assembled "reflect great disparities between provinces, with certain provinces consistently outperforming others".

According to the study, Gauteng has the strongest economy, making it the wealthiest of the provinces. Limpopo is the poorest, but the safest in which to live.

The Eastern Cape is the worst in terms of education and service delivery, while KwaZulu-Natal has the highest HIV infection rates in the country.

Data showed that the Western Cape, the fourth-largest province and home to 10 percent of South Africa's population, contributed 14,6 percent to the national gross domestic product in 2006. Only Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal performed better.

In September last year, the province's unemployment rate was 23,3 percent, compared with 28,9 percent in Gauteng, 37,8 percent in the Eastern Cape and 42,8 percent in KwaZulu-Natal.

The Western Cape fared well in terms of average household income, and was top for average expenditure.

The average household income in 2005/06 was R135 029, and the average spending R102 977.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the average household income was R58 551.

The Western Cape topped the tables with an 81 percent matric pass rate last year, and a 25 percent university entrance pass rate.

The province also topped the crime statistics in two categories: its murder rate was 60.7 deaths to every 100 000 people, its residential burglary rate 909.1 to 100 000 people. The figure for rapes was 120.6 to every 100 000 residents.

Limpopo recorded 14.1 murders among every 100 000 people and the lowest rape rate in the country, 80.6 to 100 000 people.

In Gauteng, the ratio for rapes was 120.7 to 100 000 people, and in the Northern Cape, 142.8 to 100 000, the highest in the country.

There is one police officer to 302 people in the Western Cape and one to 567 in Limpopo.

Western Cape Police Commissioner Mzwandile Petros would not comment on the province's annual crime statistics, to be released later this year, but said he was "optimistic there will be a downward trend in serious and violent crimes".

Premier Ebrahim Rasool said he was pleased that the province "was succeeding in a few things, despite challenges".

"We are trying to fathom this contradiction between living in the province that is rated so highly in terms of service delivery... (yet) has been rated the (most) opportunistic."

Eskom yesterday said it was “considering” whether it should take the blame for the death of a Kempton Park woman who died this week when she was overcome by fumes from a generator she turned on during load shedding.

“We are considering the matter,” was the response from Eskom’s Andrew Etzinger.
Municipal spokesman Zweli Dlamini said that while the council was saddened that a person had died, it could not be blamed because the council was not responsible for load shedding.

“When a person purchases a generator they should be told how to use it correctly.

“Also, I don’t see why Ekurhuleni should take the blame when load shedding is not a municipal thing but a national crisis,” he said.

Dlamini said a way should be found to educate people on generators and other alternatives.

“We can’t sit back and say this person would have been alive if there was no load shedding.

“The challenge is how to avoid another similar incident,” Dlamini said.

Meanwhile, the DA has said that the power failures in Kempton Park were due to stresses on the power network resulting from load shedding.

“[I have it] on good authority that ongoing load shedding is placing extra stress on the electricity network due to equipment continuously being switched off and on,” said DA MP for Kempton Park Mike Waters.

South Africans will be free of scheduled power cuts next week, Eskom said late yesterday.

The working week will be short because of the public holidays, and the parastatal said the scheduled power cuts would not go ahead as the demand for power was “historically lower” on South Africa’s public holidays.

Johannesburg - Buy-to-let investors who have signed long-term leases to house United States Embassy staff are in for a rude shock.

Crime concerns have prompted the embassy to terminate residential leases in stand-alone houses in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The US plans to move embassy families to multi-unit security complexes.

Letters of termination have already been sent to some landlords and rental agents have advised them that US Embassy staff and their families will vacate stand-alone houses within 90 days.

"The US Embassy has taken a decision to move from stand-alone residences to compound residential units due to increased security concerns," reads a letter sent to one rental agent in Pretoria.

That particular lease is being terminated two years earlier than originally agreed in the contract. The embassy typically signs residential leases for a period of nine years.

The US Embassy's new housing policy will no doubt be a blow to investors who have poured money into building and renovating luxury, stand-alone houses to meet the specific requirements of embassy staff. Some will no doubt battle to replace tenants.

Moreover, it's unlikely that new tenants will be able to match the US dollar-based rentals paid by the embassy.

David Grier, deputy press attaché at the US Embassy in Pretoria, confirms that a heightened security profile was one reason that leases are being reassessed.

He says the demographics of embassy staff have also shifted from large families to singles and married couples with no children who require smaller houses. Says Grier: "Several recent lease terminations have been due to the fact that the embassy no longer requires as many large houses."

Grier says the US Embassy terminates approximately 20 leases every year. "And this year is no different. However, it's always done in accordance with all the requirements of the lease signed by the owner of the property and the US Embassy."

Grier dismisses talk that the embassy will build its own security villages to house staff. He says the US Embassy already owns some properties in SA but will continue to rent the bulk of its residential accommodation needs.